ISO low light and noise...driving me insane?

This is a problem that has confounded photographers for many many years. Use a high ISO and accept grainy images in the film days or accept images with digital noise in the digital era.

Low-light photography without flash requires an extremely fast lens (f1.2, f1.4) since the problem is one of getting light to our film or sensor. When we are limited by the lens as we are with a camera like your Nikon, we have no choice but to increase the ISO.

In the film days, Leica, Nikon and Canon all offered wildly expensive f1.0 and f1.2 lenses to allow low-light photography without excessively high ASA (now ISO) being needed. In reality they weren't really much of a solution since wide-open images made with them tended to be a bit soft.

Your problem is further compounded by the small sensor common in cameras like your Nikon.

However, all is not gloom and dispair - unless you insist on trying to take images involving moving subjects. The secret is a long exposure at a low ISO with a stationary subject - like a city skyline. Your camera must allow Manual Mode use and have a minimum shutter speed of 15 seconds or have a "B" or "T" setting and accept a cable release and you must use a tripod. If your camera has a 15 sec. shutter speed you can use the self-timer.

I use the FotoSharp (fotosharp.com) Day & Night Exposure Guide and recommend it. Here is what it suggests for a city skyline in the distance (after dark):

ISO 100

f2.8 @ 4 sec.

f4 @ 8 sec.

f5.6 @ 15 sec.

ISO 200

f2.8 @ 2 sec.

f4 @ 4 sec.

f5.6 @ 8 sec.

f8 @ 15 sec.

For a "Brightly Lit Street Corner" * :

ISO 100

f2.8 @ 1/15 sec.

f4 @ 1/8 sec.

f5.6 @ 1/4 sec.

f8 @ 1/2 sec.

ISO 200

f2.8 @ 1/30 sec.

f4 @ 1/15 sec.

f5.6 @ 1/8 sec.

f8 @ 1/4 sec.

f11 @ 1/2 sec.

ISO 800

f2.8 @ 1/125 sec.

f4 @ 1/60 sec.

f5.6 @ 1/30 sec.

f8 @ 1/15 sec.

f11 @ 1/8 sec.

At ISO 800 you may stop slow movement shooting wide-open at f2.8.

I know this probably isn't what you wanted to hear. I hope it helps.

* There is no explanation as to what constitutes a "brightly lit street corner". You may have to experiment with different shutter speeds.

There are several things you can try:

1. Like other people said, the best answer is to get an SLR.

2. Another option is to buy a camera with a larger sensor. Your camera has some cool features, but the sensor is only 1/2.5". That's your problem. There are compact digital cameras like the Fujifilm Finepix f10 with medium sized sensors (1/1.7") that are better than most other compact digital cameras but not as good as an SLR.

3. Get a camera with a different kind of image stabilization. Yours has image stabilization but I don't understand how it works. The Fujifilm Finepix F50fd not only has the medium sized sensor, it has a kind of image stabilization in which the sensor actually shifts a little when you move. It goes up to ISO 6400!!!!

What I did was look for a good used DSLR, I bought a Canon 10D for $160 and paid $340 to get it fixed (had a Err99 Error).I also got a grip and four working Canon batteries and charger for that price. I have been buying lenses as I can afford to get new ones. I have a Sigma EX28-70mm 2.8F and a Canon EF 75-300 4:5.6 that I use for my pictures. I hope to be getting a new Sigma 70-300 lens with tax return and maybe a Canon 30D or 40D, They are pricey but the pictures show the money is worth it.

Point and shoot are not good in low night, DSLR does better job in low light due to bigger sensor and shuttle speed. Check the link has a lot of tips for low light. http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial_learn_exposure_l... But ultimately is the camera itself does it matter. You could use photoshop to make the pic sharper and lighter up.

All point and shoot cameras have that problem.

Fuji's f50fd is pretty good with high ISO noise (check out the review at www.dpreview.com) but nowhere near even the cheapest DSLR.

Hope this helps.